Southgate set to appoint Kane as permanent England captain

England boss Gareth Southgate is ready to make a major change by replacing veteran striker Wayne Rooney with Harry Kane, handing the Spurs forward the nation’s captaincy.

Kane scored a last-gasp equaliser in Saturday’s 2-2 World Cup qualifying draw with Scotland and wore the armband for the first-time during the game- and The Sun now claims the 23-year-old will be appointed the permanent England skipper.

The Three Lions look set to secure their place at next summer’s World Cup in Russia, as the draw with Scotland maintains England’s fantastic qualifying record in recent years, as the nation have not lost a qualifying match since 2009 – a run that stretches across 35 matches.

Kane stated after the game that he’d love to be England captain on a permanent basis and it seems his dreams will be made possible, although Southgate may not announce the decision publicly until the start of next season.

“I would love to be England captain. I don’t know what the gaffer’s feeling is but he gave me the armband and it was probably the most special moment of my career.”

Harry Kane

Southgate’s move to replace Rooney as England captain is not surprising given there were question marks when the Manchester United striker was first handed the armband, as he’s no longer a regular on the team-sheet and even faces a battle to secure a spot in the World Cup squad next summer.

Rooney previously stated he intends to retire after the 2018 World Cup, an announcement that raise eyebrows, and the fact he isn’t guaranteed first-team football at Old Trafford makes his position difficult and he could be on the move this summer.

All in all though, the England captaincy is an issue that’s widely debated, especially as we approach a major international competition, but the significant of the captaincy is often blown way out of proportion as modern footballers all need to carry leadership responsibilities.

Appointing Kane captain does suggest there will be some stability though as England have had three captains since 2012 and have not had a skipper that has lasted more than three years since John Terry’s four-year stint between 2006 and 2010.